The Politics Of Gene Wolfe

Jeff Wilson · 21 Mar 2009, 01:02 · from 2009-March.txt.gz

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From: jwilson at io.com (Jeff Wilson)
Date: Fri, 20 Mar 2009 20:02:55 -0500
Subject: (urth) The Politics Of Gene Wolfe
In-Reply-To: <39ed084f0903190830h5ed94268i1b702c32084dfc65 at mail.gmail.com>
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	<39ed084f0903190830h5ed94268i1b702c32084dfc65 at mail.gmail.com>
Message-ID: <49C43CBF.10003 at io.com>

Matthew Groves wrote:
> I've been puzzling over this passage in Claw, Jonas and Severian are
> in the Antechamber and Jonas is wigging out.  I don't know the history
> Jonas is talking about, and I wonder if it sheds any light on Wolfe's
> views on monarchy and democracy.
> 
> "Hereditary rulers and hereditary subordinates, and all sorts of
> strange officials. Lancers with long, white mustaches." For an instant
> the ghost of his old humorous smile appeared. "The White Knight is
> sliding down the poker. He balances very badly, as the King's notebook
> told him."

The last bit references Lewis Carroll's _Through the Looking Glass_, 
which could be taken as a criticism of class society.

-- 
Jeff Wilson - jwilson at io.com
< http://www.io.com/~jwilson >

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